Safety box toe shoe



SAFETY BOX TOE SHOE Filed July 29, 1932 2y Sheets-Sheet 1 Q ffy] y d April 10, 1934. H, Q MCMURRAY ET AL 1,954,677

SAFETY BOX TOE SHOE `Filed July 29, 1952 2 sheets-'sheet 2 Patented Apr. 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE G. Norman,

Beverly,

Mass., assgnors to Beckwith Manufacturing Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 29, 1932, Serial No. 625,886

11 Claims.

This invention relates to shoes provided with toe stiffeners of the so-called safety type which are capable of withstanding unusually severe service conditions tending to break them down 6 and thus to, protect the feet of the wearer from injury. Commonly such toe stiifeners are formed of metal, though other materials are sometimes used. One object of the present invention is to provide .a construction wherein if desired metal stiffeners, may be used but in which the stiiener is covered and is not liable to cause electrical short circuits by contact of the shoe, particularly when wet, with live parts.

The present invention has for an object to improve the construction of such shoes, permitting the use of metal stiffeners if desired, without exposing the metal to contact with hot objects or to electrically charged bodies.

A further object is to provide a construction which facilitates freeing of the foot from the shoe should the toe portion of a shoe have become distorted as by the falling of a heavy weight thereon.

In accordance with this invention, therefore, the innersole, at least at the toe portion-of the shoe, is formed of a pair of layers or laminations, and the upper also, at the Vtoe has a plurality of laminations between certain of which the stiifener is placed, those upper laminations inwardly of the stiiTener being lasted over the inner of these innersole layers at the toe and those outwardly of the stifiener and the entire upper materials back of the toe stiffener being lasted in over the outer layer.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and in section of a shoe embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective showing the rst innersole layer secured to the last.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective showing the upper partly assembled on the last.

Figure 4 is a perspective showing the toe portion of the upper lasted.

Figures 5 and 6 are perspectives of the stiffener.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the toe portion of the lasted shoe.

Figure 8 is a perspective showing a modified innersole construction.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective showing the innersole vof Figure 8 secured to the last ready for assembling and first lasting.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the parts ready for the rst toe lasting, using the innersole of Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the toe portion of the lasted shoe.

Referring iirst to the form shown in Figures 1 60 to 6, in Figure 2 an innersole element forming the inner of a pair of laminations at llis secured to the last as by the usual lasting tacks 2. An upper is then applied to the last, as shown in Figure 3, this upper comprising at its forward end a plurality of laminations such as 3 and 4. While they might be otherwise formed the lamination 4 as shown is a part of a full Vamp, although, if desired, a lining may be used. The lamination 3 as shown consists of a tip secured 70 at its rear edge to the full vamp as by a line of stitching 6 at the tip line. At the tip line also the inner upper lamination 4 is cut inwardly as at 7 substantially to the edge of the innersole member 1 when it is brought up therearound. The lamination 4 forwardly of the cuts 7 are then lasted in over the innersole member 1, being secured thereto by any suitable means, such as cement, staples or tacks. A preformed toe stiffener such as 9 shown detached in Figures 5 and 6 is employed being provided with an inturned marginal flange l0 which in the completed shoe passes between the innersole laminations, as shown in Figure 7, overlying the lasted in portion of the inner upper lamination 4. In 85 order to facilitate the assembly of the stiffener in the shoe, the rear end portions of the flange are cut away as at 11 so as to permit the back portion of the stiiener to be pressed into position after the flange at its forward end has been placed in contact with the lasted margin of the inner upper lamination. An outer innersole lamination 15 is then secured in position overlying the lamination 1 and the outer upper lamination 3 is then lasted in thereover and the margins of all the upper materials back of the slits 7 are also lasted in over the lamination 15. As shown in Figure '7, this outer lamination 15 is formed with a stitching lip 16 of the welt type, but it should be understood that this outer lami- 100 nation may conform to the requirements of any desired type of shoe, such for example, as a McKay or cement process shoe in which case no sewing lip 16 would be provided.

Where the toe stiiener is made of metal it 105 will be seen that this metal is effectually covered by the tip or outer lamination 3 so that it is not liable to form a short circuit should the shoe happen to come into contact with the electrically charged conductors or other bodies. It may be 110 further protected by a layer 12 on one or both faces of a suitable insulating compound such as a dispersion of rubber or rubber compound, or a rubber containing cement which may bond the stiifener to the adjacent upper materials. Where a dispersion is used it is usually preferable to apply it to the stiiener and allow or cause it to harden. When it is to be assembled the surface may then be rendered tacky as by the application of a rubber solvent thereto, so that after it has been assembled it will become firmly united to adjacent shoe parts producing therewith a unitary or functionally integral construction. A stiiener so incorporated in a shoe is out of sight and hence causes the shoe to present a neater appearance than if it were exposed on the outer face of the shoe. It is also protected from contact with the wearers feet by reason of lthe upper laminations lasted in over the innersole lamination 1 and over which the stiffener is placed.

Should a stiifener become deformed through accident while being worn, the foot may be readily released therefrom by cutting around the upper just beneath the stiffener flange, whereupon the stiffener may be readily detached from the shoe.

Instead of forming the innersole as a pair of entirely separate laminations, it may be formed of a single piece, the forward end of which is split inwardly between its side faces as shown in Figure 8, the innersole member 20 being partly split as at 21 to form the laminations 22 and 23. Where a welt innersole is vemployed this splitting operation will ordinarily be done before the stitch-receiving lip 24 has been turned up, at which time this splitting operation may be done conveniently by a machine of the type commonly employed to split the heel end of a. turned sole to produce an outer lamination which may be brought up and secured to the breast face of a wood `heel. The innersole thus partly split is tacked to the last as shown in Figure 9, and the.

upper lamination 24 is initially turned back and temporarily held as by a tack 25 as shown in Figure 9. 'Ihe upper provided with the laminations at its toe end as previously described in connection with Figures 3, 4 and '7, is then assembled on the last and the inner upper lamination forwardly of the cuts 'l is then lasted in over the lamination 22 in the same manner as over the innersole member 1 as previously described. The pre-formed toe stiilener is then placed in position between the upper laminations and with its marginal flange extended inwardly over the portions lasted in over the lamination 22, whereupon the free end of the lamination 24 is released and brought down over the stiifener flange, and the tip and the upper material back of the cuts 'I are then lasted in over the lamination 24 as previously described and as shown in Figure 11.

It will be, of course, understood that the outersole is secured to the lasted shoe in any usual or suitable manner to form the completed shoe.

The foregoing description, it will be understood, is merely illustrative of the invention,l

laminations, a toe stiifener between said tip laminations, and the outer of said tip laminations and said upper back of said tip line being lasted in over the outer of said innersole laminations.

2. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, an upper having a tip comprising a pair of laminations, and a pre-formed stiffener between said tip laminations and 4having an in-turned flange along its sides, the inner of said tip laminations being lasted in over the inner of said innersole laminations, and the outer of said tip laminations and said upper back of said stiffener being lasted in over the outer of said sole laminations, said ange extending between said innersole laminations.

3. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, an upper having a full vamp and a tip secured to said vamp, a pre-formed stiffener between said vamp and tip, said full vamp being lasted in back to the rear edge of said stiffener over the inner of said innersole laminations, and said tip and vamp back of said stiffener being lasted in over the outer of said innersole laminations.

4. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, an upper having a full vamp and a tip secured to said vamp, a pre-formed stiiener between said vamp and tip and having an in-turned flange, said full vamp being lasted in back to the rear edge of said stiifener over the inner of said innersole laminations, said flange extending in between said innersole laminations, and said tip and said vamp back of said stiffener being lasted in over the outer of said innersole laminations.

5. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, an upper having a full vamp and a tip secured along its rear edge to said vamp, said full vamp back to said tip edge being lasted in over the inner of said innersole laminations, a pre-formed toe stiffener having an in-turned marginal flange between said full vamp and tip, said fiange being presented between said innersole laminations, said tip and said vamp back of said tip being lasted in over the outer of said innersole laminations.

6. A'shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, an upper having its tip portion presenting laminations the inner of said tip laminations back to the tip line being lasted in over the inner of said innersole laminations, a toe stiffener between said tip laminations, and the outer of said tip laminations and said upper back of said tip line being lasted in over the outer of said innersole laminations, said stiiener being metallic and coated'on at least one face with an electro insulating compound.

'7. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, an upper having its tip portion presenting laminations, the inner of said tip laminations back to the tip line being lasted in over the inner of said innersole laminations, a toe stiffener between said tip laminations, and the outer of said tip laminations and said upper back of said tip line being lasted in over the outer oi' said innersole laminations, said stiifener being coated on at least one face with an adhesive for securing the adjacent shoe parts thereto.

8. The method which comprises lasting in an inner lamination of the upper materials of a shoe at the toe only over an innersole lamination, placing a pre-formed toe stiffener over said lasted upper lamination with an in-turned marginal flange thereon overlying its lasted margin, placing an outer innersole lamination over said flange, and lasting in an outer upper material lamination at the toe and all the upper materials back of said toe over said outer innersole lamination.

9. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, and an upper having its tip portion presenting laminations, the inner of said tip laminations being lasted in over the inner of said innersole laminations, and the outer of said tip laminations being lasted in over the outer of said innersole laminations.

10. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end, and an upper having its tip portion presenting laminations, the inner of said tip laminations back to the tip line being lasted in over the inner of said innersole laminations, andv the outer of said tip laminations being lasted in over the outer o! said innersole laminations, and a toe stiiener positioned between said upper laminations.

11. A shoe having an innersole presenting a pair of laminations at its forward end. and an upper having its tip portion presenting laminations, the inner of said tip laminations back to the tip line being lasted in over the inner of said innersole laminations, and the outer of said tip laminations being lasted in over the outer of said innersole laminations, and a toe stiffener positioned between said outer laminations and having a flange extending in between said innersole laminations.

HARRY G. MCMURRAY. MELBOURNE G. NORMAN. 

